


Monkey Tattoos

by anonymity



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Apocalypse Scenarios, City in the Trees, Drabble, Flash Fiction, Gen, POV Rohila, POV Second Person, Tattoos, Teenagers, Teenagers Being Friends, Treehouse City, Treehouse Society, Wordcount: 100-500, Writing Exercise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-18 20:50:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14860067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymity/pseuds/anonymity
Summary: “If monkeys get tattoos, then you’ll see the sky break open”And the sky does break open, so.





	1. introduction - Rohila

**Author's Note:**

> Little drabble type thing based on a prompt I got during a writing exercise: "If monkeys get tattoos, then you'll see the sky break open"

When the ink seeps between layers of your skin, it hurts. You knew it would, but you cry anyway. Your friends don’t make fun of you because they have already cried- you were the last in line.

 

What is on your arm now, crawling up it like it is a dangling branch, is a small green monkey, twining its tail around your wrist, wrapping its fingers around your shoulder almost affectionately. Alei nudges you gently in the arm that’s not wrapped in bandages once you’re finished, _Congrats Rohila, you’re officially as badass as the rest of us,_ stretches her arms up above her head and peers down at the blue monkey curled and sleeping on her stomach.

 

“Are we sure this was a good idea?” Henna mutters, peering at her own monkey, inked in shades of purple and clinging to her leg. 

 

“Henna,” you laugh, “Everything is falling apart around us. Our world is over. What do you think tattoos are going to do to us at this point?” Red light bleeding from the above, from the jagged-like-a-scar in the sky, highlights your silhouette. Henna sighs. “Yeah… yeah, I know.”

 

Alei glances over at her and stops walking. “Do you regret it?” The three of you stand in silence on the wooden platform, dappled by shadows of tree branches, miles from sky and earth alike. The network of treehouse belvederes and scaffolds suspended through the canopy layer of this ancient forest is dark with night time and half-hearted abandonment, portions of the raised city fleeing the apparent apocalypse in whatever manner they saw fit.

 

“...No,” Henna says finally. She looks down at her hands. “No, I guess I don’t regret it. Huh.” She looks back up at you and Alei, and smiles. It covers her whole face, like she’s smiling a happy smile with her entire self. It looks good on her, you think.


	2. how the sky split

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is how it started, i think. about two weeks before they decided to get the tattoos, this is what happened.

The order of events has been burned into your mind. 

Afterwards, recovering, Rohila is curled into your lap Henna is silently applying salve and bandages and crying, and you are still. You cannot fathom how you were ever able to move or speak before. The things that have happened have reached, invasive and unwelcome, into intimate corners of your mind not meant for them, and stolen the muscle memory from your body.  
“Alei,” Henna says, “how’s your ankle?” her voice is thick and her face is wet so you take her hand and burst into tears. Rohila clutches the fabric of your shirt and you cry into Henna’s shoulder until you fall asleep.

* * *

The Order of Events:  
1\. Someone’s house catches fire. Rohila says it’s Lex-from-2nd-period-history’s house and you don’t question her because Rohila knows a lot of things about a lot of people. Firefighters arrive. Bridges are cut. You, Rohila, and Henna sit on a lower platform about a block away and breathe in the burning smell.  


2\. The fire does not go out for hours and hours and hours and it also does not spread. At roughly midnight, Jaylee-from-two-doors-down runs up to where the three of you are sitting and shoves a newstory in your faces about 100 fires just like the one at Lex’s, all over the world. Henna says, “I think the world is ending,” and you will always remember the exact shape of her mouth and cadence of her voice when she says this.  


3\. A haze of time later the fire goes out all at once.  


4\. Your heart beats 5 times.  


5\. The sky above the tree Lex’s house is in breaks red in a streak  


6\. It pulses, warmly, there’s a rush of cold air like a breeze running away with itself  


7\. It extends, tearing all the way from one horizon to just above your head  


8\. A state of emergency is called by whoever has the power to call those sorts of things. You think it is the president but don’t really care.  


9\. You tell Henna and Rohila you will call them and go find your brother. You ask him if he is okay and hug him and he says he is okay and hugs you back. He doesn’t ask you anything but says a lot of people are leaving, fleeing. You say, “the world is ending. Where do people think they’re going to go?” He shrugs and says, “Well I’ve always wanted to see the undergrounds.” Then he says, “I’ll call you later,” and leaves.  


10\. You call Rohila and Henna.  


11\. You meet them on a bridge in downtown. When they ask, you tell them “Lornum might be leaving. To go see the undergounds, I guess.” You don’t have anything to ask them because they both live alone.  


12\. The three of you walk aimlessly through the cluster of metal and wood bridges and treehouse that makes up the Down Town Area for an hour before the shouts and the lights draw your attention and you run into the riot.  


13\. You trip and someone steps on your ankle. Henna gets scratched on her arm and her old cut re-opens.  


14\. You all three make it back to your home and Lornum is not there, but he has left a note that says “left with guys. i’ll call you from under-everest probably. love you sis.” He has never once called you ‘sis’ ever in his entire life and you don’t touch the note.  


15\. Now you are here.

* * *

When you wake up, the haze of shock has left itself behind in yesterday, and you decide that if there’s no point in anything anymore you might as well be happy. Lornum always was smarter than you, you think, and write out a bucket list. When Rohila and Henna wake up you are sketching ideas for a tattoo. You’re thinking a monkey, maybe? You’ve always liked monkeys. Rohila takes your explanation in stride remarkably well and says, “I call the green one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God my writing always looks so much shorter in AO3 format than it does in word it's kind of depressing lmao. Also I should probably definitely write more often because this was really fun.  
> High key shout out to user equali_tea for leaving a nice comment and motivating me to get off my ass with this story  
> The next chapter is a little over halfway done and I wanted to try and finish it before I posted this but I've been re-writing it for like three weeks and I didn't want to wait any more.  
> Some things about this story: there are three characters, Rohila, Alei, and Henna, and I'm alternating between perspectives for the chapters. Last chapter was Rohila's perspective, this one is from Alei's perspective. I dunno if that's made super clear, so I thought I'd make a note here in case anyone is confused. Let me know if this doesn't make any sense?  
> Thanks for reading! Have a nice day :D

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if anyone except for me can tell what's happening here so feel free to hit me up with that Constructive Criticism


End file.
